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Over 150 dead in Myanmar and Thailand after huge earthquake
A huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake has hit central Myanmar, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
At least 144 people have died and 732 have been injured so far in the country, Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing said.
The epicentre was 16km (10 miles) north-west of the city of Sagaing, sending strong tremors that were felt as far as south-west China and Thailand.
Meanwhile, around 100 construction workers are missing after an unfinished high-rise building collapsed hundreds of miles away in Bangkok, according to Thailand’s deputy prime minister.
At least seven people have died at the site in Thailand, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
A rescuer in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, told the BBC the damage is “enormous”.
The total number of people killed and injured by the earthquake are expected to rise in the coming days.
There have been reports of roads buckling in the capital of Nay Pyi Taw, and the country’s military government has declared a state of emergency in six regions.
The earthquake struck near Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.5 million people.
A second quake struck 12 minutes after the first, according to the USGS, with a magnitude of 6.4 and its epicentre was 18km (11.1 miles) south of Sagaing.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, gained independence from Britain in 1948, but its recent history has been marked by unrest and conflict.
The military seized power in 2021, ten years after agreeing to hand over control to a civilian government. Since then, the junta has cracked down hard on dissent, executing democracy activists and jailing journalists. The state controls almost all local radio, television, print and online media, and Internet use is restricted in the country, which often makes access to information difficult.
According to a recent BBC data project, the country is now controlled by a patchwork of groups, making relief and recovery efforts more challenging.
It is even harder to find accurate information about what is going on in rebel-held areas of the country.
The junta made a rare call for international assistance in the wake of the earthquake.
However, the complex situation on the ground is likely to hamper search and rescue operations as well as the free flow of aid into the country.
Rescue workers operating in villages near Mandalay have told the BBC they do not have access to the heavy machinery needed to reach people trapped under the rubble. “We’re digging people out with our bare hands,” one man said.
The earthquake has added pressure to an already dire humanitarian situation in the country, where 3.5m people are estimated to have been displaced by fighting.
The Sagaing region, near the epicentre of the quake, is a volatile key battleground in the civil war.
Charities and opposition parties working in the country have raised concerns about the “politicisation” of aid in the coming days.
Montse Ferrer, the deputy director of East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific at Amnesty International, told the BBC the junta has “a history of denying aid” to areas where resistance forces are active.
The tremors were felt hundreds of miles away in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok, where rescue teams worked through the night to free the construction workers trapped beneath the rubble.
Buildings across the city were evacuated, including a hospital holding patients in acute need of medical attention. A woman gave birth on the street amid the commotion, lying on a stretcher surrounded by hospital staff.
Bui Thu, a BBC journalist who lives in Bangkok, told the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme that she was at home cooking when the initial quake happened. “I was very nervous, I was very panicked,” she said.
“Buildings in Bangkok are not engineered for earthquakes, so I think that’s why I think there’s going to be big damage.”
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited the site of the collapsed building on Friday afternoon.
Search and rescue teams using drones, sniffer dogs and diggers have been mobilised and disaster centres set up to help with the rescue operation.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (20) paid his last respects to the remains of Most Venerable Kappetiyagoda Siri Wimala Thera, Anunayake of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya and Chief Incumbent of the Rajopawanaramaya Temple in Gatambe, Kandy, who passed away.
The President visited the Rajopawanaramaya Temple in Gatambe, Kandy, where the remains of the Thera are lying, and paid his last respects. He subsequently expressed his deepest condolences to the Maha Sangha and the temple’s Dayaka Sabha, who are mourning the passing of the Thera.
Central Province Governor and Consultant Physician Dr Harsha Suranga Fernando, Kandy District Secretary Indika Udawatta and several others were present.
President’s Media Division (PMD)
India opener Shafali Verma has received an official reprimand and a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
Shafali, an ICC release said, breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”
It was Shafali’s first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident occurred in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when Shafali threw the ball into the ground in frustration after dropping a chance at mid-off offered by Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano off Sree Charani.
Shafali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee GS Lakshmi, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
India currently lead the three-match series 2-0 with the third game to be played on Tuesday evening. The T20Is will be followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23.
(Cricinfo)
A total of 146 players will be competing for 27 available slots in the WPL 2027 mini auction on October 28 in Kochi. Of these, England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux are the only two players who have listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh.
The auction pool has 119 Indian players, including 22 capped and 97 uncapped players, with 20 slots available for Indian players. The overseas pool has 27 players – 14 capped and 13 uncapped – including six from Associate teams, with seven slots available.
G Kamalini (released by Mumbai Indians), Kiran Navigre (released by U P Warriorz), Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen have registered at the second-highest base price of INR 40 lakh, while a total of 30 players have registered at INR 30 lakh.
Among the notable absentees are West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was released by UPW, and Australia legspinner Alana King, who was released by Delhi Capitals. Lizelle Lee, who was DC’s highest run-scorer last season, has also not listed herself after being released by the franchise.
What the teams look like going into the auction
Only two English players – Dunkley and Kira Chathli (INR 10 lakh) – have registered for the auction, with several others, including Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Dani Gibson, Lauren Filer and Linsey Smith opting to skip the WPL next year.
Cricinfo has learned that England are likely to play three T20Is in Sri Lanka in early February, which will clash with the final week of the WPL. While the ECB is likely to allow players to stay in India to complete the tournament, most players have instead chosen to prioritise their international commitments ahead of the Champions Trophy later that month.
The relatively low salaries on offer at the WPL are also understood to be a factor in many English players deciding not to register, with most internationals earning significantly more to play in the Hundred (up to £190,000 last year) than the highest permitted base price in the WPL of INR 50 lakh (£40,000 approx).
Molineux was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] title-winning squad in 2024, and had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an economy rate of 7.31. She was retained by RCB for the 2025 season but a knee injury ruled her out of the season. Dunkley, meanwhile, played for Gujarat Giants [GT] in 2023 before opting not to register for the 2024 season. She went unsold in the 2025 auction.
Among the premier internationals who have listed themselves for INR 30 lakh are Australia allrounder Grace Harris (released by RCB), Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon.
UPW, who released nine players, will go into the auction with the biggest purse of INR 3.75 crore.
[Cricinfo]
Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, Northern and Southern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.
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